Baby Name of the Day Madeleva: Inventive Rarity

The baby name Madeleva blends some popular favorites for an unexpected rarity. 

Thanks to Angela for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME MADELEVA MEAN?

At first glance, Madeleva looks like it come from the name Madeleine.

After all, the classic French feminine name can be spelled Madeline, Madelyn, Madalyn, or, well, the options go on and on.

In Italian, it becomes Maddalena. Other languages hew closer to the original form, Magdalena.

The name honors Mary Magdalene, a figure from the New Testament. Her second name indicates her city of origin: Magdala, a village of the sea of Galilee. Magdala comes from an Aramaic word meaning tower. 

Other Mad- names include smash hit surname name Madison from the turn of the 21st century, as well ast he Dutch Madelief, from 

The baby name Madeleine, Madeline, Madelyn, and so on has been wildly popular in recent years. That’s also true for Madison. And then there’s Madelief, a Dutch name meaning daisy with a long history of use. 

The -eva ending, of course, echoes names like the Hebrew Elisheva and Italian Genoveva. It’s not common in English. Though just plain Eva boasts a long history of use, in the US and nearly everywhere else in the Western world. 

Eva ultimately comes from the Old Testament, from a Hebrew word meaning breath or life. That makes Eva ancient, indeed.

And yet, neither of these long-established names explains the origins of Madeleva.

MARY EVALINE

Born in 1884, Mary Evaline Wolff grew up in Wisconsin. She attended St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Nothing about this marked Wolff as unusual. Even her decision to enter religious life wasn’t all that surprising. She graduated from college and joined the Congregation of the Holy Cross, professing her final vows a year later.

Every religious order approaches names in their own way. Mary Evaline Wolff typically went by her middle name in secular life. As a religious sister, she became known by the name Madeleva.

Strictly speaking, she was Sister Mary Madeleva, but even her autobiography shortens it to Sr. M. Madeleva.

She became a teacher, as so many women religious did at the time. But she returned to school, again and again, ultimately earning a doctorate in English at the University of California Berkeley in the year 1925. This was an extraordinary accomplishment for a woman in the early 20th century, and even rarer for a member of a religious order.

But that was just her beginning. She completed post-graduate work in medieval literature at Oxford, then returned to the US to serve as dean of a small Catholic women’s college. She eventually became president of her alma mater.

Known for her practical problem-solving skills, Sr. Madeleva was asked to wrestle with a growing concern: sisters were called upon to teach religion to students in Catholic schools, but couldn’t study higher level theology. She approached established Catholic schools of theology, all of which declined to admit women.

Sr. Madeleva ultimately started her own at St. Mary’s College, recruiting faculty and quickly filling the classes. Besides women religious, she admitted laypersons – men and women without any formal religious role. She also admitted the school’s first African American student in 1941, well before most similar schools considered integration.

In her free time, she published poetry, corresponded with other authors and secular leaders like John F. Kennedy, and continued to build St. Mary’s College.

THE MADELEVA LECTURES

Her legacy is preserved at St. Mary’s College with an annual lecture series named in her honor. 

The series also created the Madeleva Manifesto, a call to uplift and grow the role of women in the faith.

It’s a fitting tribute to an icon of religious education and women’s empowerment.

MEDIEVAL MADS & EVAS

The question remains: did Mary Evaline invent her name?

Possibly. 

Names like Madelia and Madella occur over time. It seems like Madeleva might’ve been in use, too, in very small numbers.

After all, medieval tradition gives us:

• Germanic names like Madalhilde and Madalgarde, the first element coming from mahal, meaning counsel. 
• Welsh names like Madwen, from the Welsh element mat, meaning good. 
• Names like Godeleva or Godelieve, an 11th century medieval saint. 

Then again, Madeleva wasn’t a stretch for late 19th century America, either. Geneva, Eva, Cleva, Leva, and Veva all ranked in the US Top 1000 in 1884, the year of Mary Evaline Wolff’s birth. By the early 1900s, names like Reva and Treva also ranked.

In both the Middle Ages and turn-of-the-20th-century America, the name just made sense.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MADELEVA?

Officially, the baby name Madeleva has never appeared in the extended US popularity data.

That means that, in every year since 1880 when data is first reported, fewer than five girls received the first name Madeleva.

Likely inspired by her legacy, the baby name Madeleva has appeared in a few official records. It looks like some religious sisters may have adopted her name, too. 

But this name is among the rarest of the rare. 

One factor: Catholic saints’ names tend to be used by parents expressing their beliefs. That’s true for even newly-canonized saints. But Madeleva’s legacy is different one of scholarly pursuits and visionary leadership. While such figures can inspire, it’s a less traditional choice.

LEGACY OF INVENTION

The baby name Madeleva sounds powerful, unconventional, and rooted in the past. That feels like the original’s vibe: smart and sophisticated, a name for a scholar. 

It’s old school and current, a name that might have broad appeal – if only we heard it in use. 

What do you think of the baby name Madeleva?

First published on September 10, 2012, this post was updated on October 09, 2014 and again on November 12, 2026.